Drinking-cup.



R. GORTON.v

' DRINKING CUP.

APPLICATION min NO v. z8. 1913.

Patented Feb. 15, 19M.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

R. GORTON.

DRINKING cuP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 19.1.3.

1 17 1,43 l Patented 36h15,' 1916-.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2'-v v ffl!!! ROBERT GORTON, GEWEST NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DRINKING-CUP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

Application led November 28, 1513. Serial No. 803,576.

v To all whom t 'may concern.' v

Be it known that I, ROBERT GoRToN, a

citizen of the United States, residing in West Newton, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements Drinking-Cups, of which the ifollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of drinking vessels known as sanitary drinking cups which are usually made of paper or similar ileXible material and are designed to be used only once or only by the same person. Such cups may be very cheaply made, are light and can be easily packed, stacked and stored and a very large number of them may be contained in a small space.

Many cups of this class are so made that theyl can collapse or are normally collapsed for convenience of packing, stacking, or storing, and my invention relates particularly to cups of this kind. In such cups as heretofore made when in use the sharp edge of the cup, usually of paper, comes against the lips with danger of cutting or f scratching, and when distended and filled, the part which is applied to the mouth yof and lthe drinker is quite narrow and often the contents of the cup is spilled in the act of drinking so as to wet the face of the drinker 4instead of properly passing into the mouth.

The object of my invention is to provide means for preventing injury or discomfort to the lips or mouth and the liquid from wasting or spilling in this way.

In carrying out my invention I may employ aper cups of any usual or desired kind apply to such a cup a guard so constructed and arranged that .it will prevent water or other liquid from. spilling from the cupwhen it is applied to the mouth, and will also prevent injury or discomfort thereto. l i

My invention is most useful when applied to collapsible drinking cups, made of paper or similar material, in which the two sides of the cup are normally flat and in. close contact with each other, but which, when held in the hand by its opposite edges may be distended to receive the liquid. Cups of this. kind are particularly subject to the objections above mentioned, z'. e., when they are distended the part of the cup which receives the lips or which is placed next the mouth is sharp and uncomfortable and relatively narrow and the liquid is apt to spill. l

To cups of this kind I apply a guard which prevents injury to the mouth and the spilling of the liquid. l

In one form of my invention the guard or the body of the cup near its upper edge 1 s vformed with an eXit opening for the liquid, or such opening .may 'be formed partly in the guard and partly in the body of the cup. The guard is made collapsible so that it may be folded into a fiat condition'- either inside the cup or outside thereof and thearrangement is such that when the cup is distended the guard automatically assumes a position which will prevent scratching or cutting and also the waste of liquid.

In another form of the invention I employ two guards which, when the cup is opened or distended, form a cover open at its middle portion only, thus providing a filling and drinking opening which is guarded to prevent cutting, scratching or spilling.

In the accompanying drawings. I have illustrated some ways in which my invention may beused.

Figure l is a perspective view showing a drinking cup of .ordinarytconstruction with my guard applied. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cup shown in Fig. 1. showing how the blank is folded and cemented. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cup shown in Figs. 1 and 2 indicating how the guard may a blank from which the cup shown in F igs.

1, 2 and 3 may be made. Fig.4 5 shows a plan of another form of blank which may be used. Fig. 6 illustrates still another blank which may be employed. Fig. 7 showsa modification' in which the guard' is made of a separate piece and attached to the cup. Fig. 8 is aJ plan view of the guard shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9. is a perspective view of a modified `form of the invention. Fig. 10 shows a side elevation thereof. Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the same, and Fig. 12 is a plan view of the blank from which said cup is made.

The cup A, shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive may be made from a blank such as indicated in Fig. 4f As there shown the bod of the cup is made of two'parts A and 2. The part A2 has paste-carrying portions a which may be attached to the part A in the usual manner, the blank being bent on the line :v as usual. The part A2 of the cup is formed in one piece with an extension B from which the guard is formed. The blank is creased or scored at b and at Z22 and paste is applied at b. A recess is formed at C which provides a pouring opening in the finished cup.

v cup will bel complete as indicated in Figs,

1, 2 and The guard is collapsible, that is, it maybe folded onv the line b2 so that when the cupvis collapsed the guard will parts A', the cup is i when ythe latter is not in use,

in the manner indicated 1n F1g.`3, but

the

clean,

be contained within the cup between the A2, as indicated in Fig. 3. When gers, as indicated in automatically rise. to a horizontal `vposition, and when ,thel cup ,is` fil-led* with liquid passes cup is tilted.

' All the' 'liquid 'jwillfv enter "the mouth of the drinker and there is no possiof the lipsis prevented.

There are various ways in which" the cup with the guard may be made from blaiiks of various shapes.

, In Fig. 5 thel blanks are of 'thel shape shown and are provided withpaste-carryin portions and they are divided bya crease line The vguard B is and carries paste at b. folded in' an obvious manner cup with a creased vat' bf and'bg This blank may be at C. Y

lar in principle' to those before described andas the manner of folding is obvious no further descriptionis required.

In the forms of cup heretofore referred to,

part of the blank for the' bodyt of the cup, but' the guard may be triangular' form having a recess y part o f the pouring opening and being p rovided with paste-carrying porti ms 5 which may be applied to che cup infthe manner indicated lin Fig. 7 v v I I preferably fold'the guard within the cup the guard may be distended or projected outwardl in the manner indicated in Fig. 7, thus providing a tab, handle or finger-piece which may he used for withdrawing' the cups individually from a package.

In Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 1.2, I have shown distended, by holding` it in -the handand pressing with the thumb, andvfinal Fig. 1, the guard. wille liquid `the guard will remain'in this position oriwill rise slightly as indicated infFigs'Lf-"Ifand '2. I`he from the orifice C` when 'the ff.

to produce a guard of the character .before described, a pouring opening being providedv ard B is made fromvthe blank forming v made-separately as as thereshown, of

VC to form' a modification in which two guards are used and the drinking opening C shown in the remaining figures of the dr-awings is omitted. In this case the guards form a cup cover which is open only at its middle portion X. `The liquid may be poured from either side of the cup, but no sharp edges are presented and danger of spilling is avoided.

A cup of this kind may be made in various ways, but preferably Yfrom a. blank of the kind shown in Fig. 12 which comprises a body blank d, d', Z2 creased at d3 and carrying paste at (Z4, d5. The middle blank d carries extensions E, Erprovided with paste at e and being creased at e', e2. This blank may be folded and the parts secured together in the manner indicated in Fig. 10. Normally the guards are folded and contained within the cup, as indicated by dotted j lines, but when the cup is grasped in the 4mannershown in Fig. 9 and pressure is applied-by the lthumb and fingers the guards will rise into positionffor use.

1. A collapsible drinking cup open at the topfor vfilling and having la relatively small or restricted delivery opening and provided with a collapsible vlip guard bridging the cup from one side thereof to the other at one corner of, the cup; andvto one side of its filling opening. 2. A drinking cup open aty the top for filling and having a relatively lsmall or ref -stricted .delivery opening near one corner thereof at the top and a collapsible lip guard bridging the cup'ffrom one side thereof to the other at .one corner-ofthe cup and on lone s1de of its lling opening. ,l

A collapsible drinking cup open vatthe top l for filling and having a relatively small 'or restricted delivery opening and with its e f y. p body, portion provided with 4'vertical edges Fig. 6 shows another form of blank simiabout which the' sides of the cup open and close to an equal extent, anda lip guard for said delivery opening united with the side edges ofthe cup near one corner thereof and extending therefrom toward the middle portion of the cup and covering only that poror restricted delivery orifice at one corner p of the cup, and a collapsible lip guard bridging the cup'froln ,one side Lthereof to the fother. at one corner ,of the 4cup `and on one side of-its filling opening, said lip guard belngof general trian ular 'shape having its apex at one corner o the c'up and its free l edge, which isr relatively-wide and forms theA base of the triangle, bridges the filling openingat one side thereof.

5 A sanltary drinking cup formed from a single piece of stock the open top of which cup has extended thereacross to bridge/,the cup faces at a cup corner, a narrow strip constituting a mouthpiece the ends of which strip are secured to said cup faces so as to cover the cup rim at said places of attachment which strip thus secured partially closes the cup top, said cup rim and a free edge of said strip being coperatively shaped and assembled with respect to one lanother to provide a restricted pouring opening.

6. A sanitary drinking cup formed from a single piece of stock the open top of which cup has extended thereacrosss to bridge the cup faces at a cup corner, a notched narrow strip constituting amouthpiece the ends of which strip are secured to said cup faces so as to cover the cup rim at said places of attachment which strip thus secured partially closes the cup top, the notched portion of said strip being coperatively assembled I with respect to sald cup corner to provide a restricted pouring opening.

7. A sanitary drinking up formed from a single blank folded upon itself substantially midway 'of its length to form a pair of opposing sides, of which one of said sides has projected from certain of its edges, flaps to fold over upon and be adhesively secured to corresponding edges of the other side, and of which'one of said sides has projected from its remaining free edge at an angle thereto, a narrow strip, one edge of which is notched adjacent the juncture point of said side and strip, a part of which strip is adapted to be folded over upon and adhesively secured to the other cup side to provide a mouth piece having a4 restricted pouring opening therein.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ROBERT GORTON. lVitnesses:

A. W. BELCHER,

GEORGE B. GLIDDEN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washingtom D. G. 

